September 7, 2005– In an event at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, Steve Jobs introduces the iPod nano and the Motorola ROCKR to the world. Later that day, I drive to the Apple Store at King of Prussia and grab a black 8GB nano. My life is forever changed.

February, 2007 – After more than a year of heavy use, my nano has lost some of its original battery capacity (Apple claimed 14 hours) but is still providing several hours of enjoyment on a single charge.

July, 2007 – My nano’s battery is showing signs of failing as it now only lasts for a couple of hours on a fresh charge and will die overnight if left unplugged.

August, 2007 – I search online for iPod batteries and convince myself that I can do the surgery after seeing a very thorough instructional video from Newer Technology.

Click on the headline to read more about Rob’s battery installation…

Rob’s iPod nano Timeline:

September 7, 2005– In an event at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, Steve Jobs introduces the iPod nano and the Motorola ROCKR to the world. Later that day, I drive to the Apple Store at King of Prussia and grab a black 8GB nano. My life is forever changed.

February, 2007 – After more than a year of heavy use, my nano has lost some of its original battery capacity (Apple claimed 14 hours) but is still providing several hours of enjoyment on a single charge.

July, 2007 – My nano’s battery is showing signs of failing as it now only lasts for a couple of hours on a fresh charge and will die overnight if left unplugged.

August, 2007 – I search online for iPod batteries and convince myself that I can do the surgery after seeing a very thorough instructional video from Newer Technology.

I ended up buying the cheapest battery I could find, a US$18 400mAh replacement from iPodBatteryDepot.com. If I had it to do again I would definitely buy the NewerTech model, even for a few dollars more. They’ve made great Mac products for many years and I should have given them my support. That said, I am very happy with my experience with iPodBatteryDepot.com.

The surgery went very well. I’m not an electronics tinkerer, but I didn’t have any trouble de-soldering and re-soldering the battery wires. It was surprisingly easy for this novice. The toughest part was getting the enclosure open before ruining both of the included nylon tools.

With the case open, I took the opportunity to use a little contact cleaner in the area of the click wheel since the play button has slowly becoming less responsive.

The case snapped together nicely and there was no visible sign that I had opened the case. The new battery was about two-thirds charged so I used it for the rest of the day and then put it on charge overnight.

I‚Äôm happy to report that my nano‚Äôs battery capacity is as good as new. I can go for three or four days between charges. I‚Äôd say that if you‚Äôre comfortable with opening electronic items and if you‚Äôre capable of even rudimentary soldering then you should have no trouble changing your nano‚Äôs battery. If you‚Äôre not comfortable then send it in and get it changed by a professional.